We’re approaching the last chance saloon of reaching our climate targets unless substantive actions are put forward in the 2025 Climate Action Plan, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore, the party’s climate spokesperson, said:
“The previous publication of the Climate Action Plan only met 29% of the required 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a frightening shortcoming.
“There are only so many task forces you can create, reports you can write, and recommendations you can issue before meaningful measures must be taken.
“Today’s European State of the Climate Report confirms that 2024 was Europe’s hottest year on record in what is the world’s fastest-warming continent, ramping up risk of severe weather events and putting lives at risk.
“What is the government waiting to hear before it begins to take this generation-defining issue seriously?
“Effective policy is no use if efforts aren’t made to implement it in a timely fashion – in terms of the climate disaster, we’re very much fighting against the clock.
“We need to see real ambition from government in terms of our 2030 targets, but as of now it’s clear they’re not being treated as a priority.
“European Union fines are looming, yet the state is acting as if they’re just a hypothetical, not something we’re on a collision course with.
“Existing barriers, such as the lack of development of essential renewable infrastructure in the form of offshore wind and solar panels, have yet to be addressed or allocated sufficient investment.
“More and more offshore wind providers are at risk of cancelling their proposed developments if they do not receive assurances that they will receive adequate funding and that regulatory red tape will be eased.
“Without real action, these cancellations are unavoidable, as highlighted by the halting of the Sceirde Rocks Windfarm project yesterday, which was due to deliver power for 350,000 homes and save 550,000 tonnes of carbon per year.
“On the other hand, farmers and agribusiness have not received the necessary supports or them to adapt to new regulations – this is exemplified in the months-long delay of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
“Asking farmers to make the green transition without providing them with the supports they need and were promised was always going to result in a stalemate, yet there’s been no urgency from the state thus far to rectify the issue.
“It’s already mid-April and we’re only now going to see the Climate Action Plan – the publication process requires more transparency and accountability in this respect so that it is timely and released at regular intervals.
“The Climate Action Plan should always be released in December of each year, without exception – the climate crisis will not make an exception for us.
“It’s time government presents a viable plan to achieve our climate goals, and I hope the 2025 Climate Action Plan will represent a turning point in the way in which we view this crisis.”
April 15th, 2025